Vancouver's lone goal from a Garrett Kusch header two minutes
into the second half was enough to give the visitors a victory over the
Seattle Sounders on the A-League's opening day. Paul Dolan earned the shutout
in goal for the 86ers.

Seattle fielded a team with only five players from their 1996
A-League championship team - three player/coaches (Neil Megson, Bernie
James, Chance Fry) and two who were rookies last year (Nate Daligcon, Justin
Stoddard). Seattle played the first half in a 3-5-2 formation, unlike in
past years when they virtually always played with four in the back.

Vancouver's starting lineup included just two players over the
age of 23 - defender Steve MacDonald and keeper Paul Dolan.

Neither team looked sharp this night, especially in the first
half when only seven shots were taken, only two on goal. Isidro "Chilo"
Andrade Tafolla took Seattle s first shot at 6' when he tried to head in
a throw-in from close range, but the ball went off his body and wide. Vancouver
was shotless until 12' when Craig Dalrymple poked the ball wide from the
left side.

In the final two minutes of the half, Vancouver's Garrett Kusch
was left open to head two shots towards goal. The first was just wide left
and the second hit the right post and rebounded right to keeper Dusty Hudock.

Vancouver tallied two minutes into the second half when Kusch
got his head on Jeff Skinner's cross in front of the goal and looped the
ball over Hudock, who had come out from his line when perhaps he should
not have, and into the net.

The goal seemed to wake the Sounders. Seattle s Dion Earl sent
a beautiful cross in from the right side, but his teammates were late on
the attack and the ball bounced harmlessly across the penalty area. Earl
soon sent in another quality cross and Derek Crothers was open in front
of the goal to meet it, but miskicked his shot and hit the right post.
Crothers soon got another chance when he volleyed a pass from Chilo, but
the hard struck ball was caught by Dolan for a save.

Soon after entering the game for Crothers, Chance Fry one-touched
a cross into Daligcon's path, but Daligcon's left-footed shot was well
wide. Seattle's Geoff Aunger (who played for Vancouver two years ago) earned
a shot from 25 yards out, but his well-struck shot slammed into the post
and the rebound was cleared by Vancouver s defense.

Four minutes from time 86er Steve Kindell got a breakaway when
Brian McNeil missed the ball near the halfway line. Kindel dribbled into
the area and shot with only the keeper to beat, but the ball hit the top
left corner of the woodwork and went out.

Chilo got Seattle's last chance to tie the match when he volleyed
a clearance from Seattle s corner kick, but the shot was several feet over
the bar.

Seattle and Vancouver meet again on Friday in Vancouver, and will
meet a total of five times in the '97 regular season.